


A Movie Script Ending

by toomanycurls



Series: Before the Sun Sets (HP Next-Gen) [8]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: HPFT, F/M, Harry Potter Next Generation, Romance, Sexual Content, past Albus Potter/Original Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 07:29:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7748680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toomanycurls/pseuds/toomanycurls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brandon follows his friend's advice and picks up the pieces of his broken heart after ending things with Albus. He doesn't expect to meet someone who will change his life forever. <br/><i>Spoilers for True Romance</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	A Movie Script Ending

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MegGonagall](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegGonagall/gifts).



Brandon sits at the bar alone, his coworker who had joined him for dinner left not ten minutes previously. He’s been in a post-relationship slump and is following the advice of his best friend Oscar to go out and meet someone, or at least try. Before exploring the crowd at the pub, he wants to finish a beer to build confidence and courage.

When a sharp exclamation of “Savage beast!” comes from a person to his right, Brandon turns reflexively only to get a drink thrown at him. Blinking slowly, Brandon replays the conversion he’d been vaguely ignoring and recalls the man, who is now angrily leaving the pub, brought up his recent unicorn hunting exploits.

“I’m sorry about that,” comes a much softer voice and a napkin for Bran’s still wet face.

Wiping his face, Brandon sees a pretty face framed by auburn hair. He smiles his amusement at the situation and says, “It’s not a problem and a first too.”

The woman who took the barstool next to Brandon grins. “You aren’t often dowsed in other people’s drinks?”

“Generally no,” Brandon confirms. “Jimmy,” he calls to the barkeeper who is tucking his wand away after the altercation. “Can you get another drink for…”

“Moira,” the auburn woman supplies. “So… do you go by savage beast or is there something else I should call you?” she asks with a playful grin.

“My name is Savage. Brandon Savage,” he tells her before taking a sip of ale.

Moira nods, taking in this data point. “And the beast part?” she asks, raising her brow in curiosity.

“Um…” Brandon thinks of a reply that is either going to be a major flop or cheesy enough to work. He grins before saying, “You know what they say about aurors: Savage in the street, beast in the sheets.”

A loud, snorting laugh escapes Moira’s lips. “Does that line work on people?” she asks once her laughter subsides.

“I don’t think so,” Brandon laughs at his own atrocious flirting attempt but there’s a twinkle in Moira’s eyes that indicate maybe, just maybe he’s not failed at endearing himself to her.

There’s a moment silence between Brandon and Moira, neither are _very_ good at chatting up people they’re attracted to. Then Moira says, “You’re an auror?”

Nodding, Brandon replies, “I’ve been an auror for three years now,” he says brightly. He orders another round for them before asking, “What type of work keeps you busy?”

With a blush spreading Moira’s cheeks she says, “It’s nothing exciting… or even that magical. I’m a sales person at a muggle raw goods dealer but I draw a lot of clients who make magical goods.”

Brandon digests this for a moment then tells her, “That sounds very magical.” Realizing just how corny he sounded, Brandon sputters, “I mean, very close to the magical world.” He’s blushing now, wishing words would stop fumbling out of his mouth.

“I suppose it is,” Moira agrees before continuing, “Working for a muggle with wizard clients is tricky sometimes. But so is being a witch in a mostly non-magical world. I’ve tried dating muggles and wizards, and well, you got a facefull of how that went.” Moira glances down, not sure where the sudden burst of candor came from.

“Even a relationship with a good person can be difficult,” Brandon says, thinking of his recent ex, Albus. “But the bits I caught from that bloke… well, he didn’t deserve your time.”

Moira laughs at Brandon’s confident judgement of how valuable her time is but also appreciates the kind words. “Maybe it’s not as big of a deal to wizards but I couldn’t get over his pride at hunting unicorns.”

“I’ve never met anyone who hunts them,” Brandon says as if going through an index of all the people he’s ever met.

Spurred on by this comment, Moira continues, “And I know it sounds silly but they’re my favorite animal. I suppose it sounds less silly around people who know they exist but when I tell muggles how much I adore them… well, it draws comments.”

A burst of laughter comes from Brandon and a smile spreads across his face. “I grew up mostly around muggles. My primary school friends thought I was having some sort of tantrum when I told them my mum’s a witch.”

They both laugh at this then Moira adds, “That happened to my brother, Martin, when I was at Hogwarts. He’s a muggle and, well, magic is just a bit out of his comfort zone.”

It is refreshing for both of them to find someone who is easy to talk to. Moira blushes when Brandon casually mentions that she’s pretty – she’s not accustomed to men complimenting her freely. The more conversation shares with Moira the more he finds himself attracted to her. It’s a surprise a few hours and many drinks later when Jimmy makes a final call for drinks.

“Do you want another?” Brandon asks as he works the courage to suggest they spend more time together that evening.

Nodding, Moira says, “Please.” She takes the drink set before her and blurts out, “I could go for a pizza after this. Um, do you want to…” her voice trails off but Brandon jumps on the invitation.

“There’s a really great pizza place near my flat. We could get takeout and eat it at my place. They’ll be closing in not too long.” Blushing, Brandon hopes he has not been presumptuous about Moira’s willingness to go to his flat but he was not disappointed.

“Pizza at your place sounds great,” Moira agrees with her hand casually placed on Brandon’s knee. She pulls her hand away with a fresh blush.

They disapparate and arrive at Brandon’s favorite pizza parlor. It is near closing but a man at the counter greets Brandon enthusiastically. “Long time no see, where’ve you been?” he says, taking out a notepad to jot down their order.

“Oh, I’ve been…” Brandon pauses, not sure how to excuse the sudden lack of late-night pizza runs with Albus.

Glancing at Moira and her hand on Brandon’s arm. “Ah, I get it. So, what will it be?”

Moira glances at the menu and wonders at the odd exchange between Brandon and the pizza guy. It’s not shocking to imagine he might have an ex-girlfriend that also liked pizza. “I like everything,” Moira says, feeling overwhelmed by the menu.

“Even anchovies?” Brandon checks with a teasing tone in his voice.

Prodding Brandon playfully, Moira laughs. “Okay, I like everything any _sane_ person likes.”

Brandon orders their supreme pizza, which does not include fish or other odd toppings. They wait outside for the pizza to bake as the evening is warm and the pizza parlor stifling. Leaning against the brick façade of the building, Brandon glances up at the night sky.

“Do you have a favorite one?” Moira asks, also looking up at the stars.

“That bright one,” Brandon says unhelpfully.

Laughing, Moira asks, “Don’t tell me, you weren’t the best at astronomy?” She stands facing Brandon and leans backwards to look where his gaze is set. “That would be Vega,” she informs him.

As Moira straightens out, she is nearly face to face with Brandon. “I know who to owl next time I need help with a star chart,” Brandon decides as he bites his lip, indecision fluttering in his stomach.

“Does your job require a lot of star chart reading?” Moira asks coyly. As Brandon shakes his head Moira says, “You’ll have to come up with another reason to owl me.”

Brandon cups Moira’s round face and murmurs, “I can think of several reasons,” before leaning his head down slightly and is met with Moira’s lips brushing against his. Between the alcohol and exhilaration of kissing someone new, Brandon and Moira barely notice when the door to the pizza shop opens.

“You’ll want to take this before it gets too cold,” the man from the pizza parlor tells them dryly.

“Thanks, Stevie,” Brandon says after breaking from the delightful kiss. They take the pizza and walk a few short blocks to Brandon’s apartment building. Moira stands on tiptoe to kiss Brandon in the elevator but the short ride leaves them both wanting more.

When they are in Bran’s flat the pizza and hunger from staying up too late demands both their attention over any lustful feeling they share. Grateful for a generally clean flat, Brandon pulls out two plates and asks, “Do you want something to drink? I only have beer and water – but the beer is pretty good.”

“I’ll try a beer,” Moira decides. She isn’t a fan of beer but wants to keep the tingly feeling through her body.

After a few bites of pizza and sips of beer Brandon asks, “How do you like it?”

“They go well together. I really like the pizza and the beer is pretty good,” Moira voices after a moment to mull it over. “I’m definitely not hungry enough for more than a slice though,” she decides.

“Me either,” Brandon agrees with a stretch. He puts the leftover pizza in the fridge after downing the rest of his beer. A glance at Moira tells him she also pounded the last of her beer.

She stands and wobbles slightly. Brandon steadies her and is thanked with a needy kiss. He enjoys the feel of her mouth against his and knows he wants her. Moira doesn’t remember the last time she found a man so instantly attractive and desperately wants more than passionate kissing. With both of their hands wandering freely, Moira decides that clothing is definitely getting in the way. She steps back just half a pace from Brandon and pulls off her top.

Brandon takes in her curvy body and manages, “You’re absolutely gorgeous.”

Moira turns red at the compliment and stumbles back into Brandon’s arms. “Sorry, I’m just a bit woozy,” she says into his chest. “I don’t usually drinks this much.”

This gives Brandon pause. He’s just sober enough to register these words as a red flag. “Moira, are you feeling well?” he asks cautiously as he peers into her steely eyes.

“I’m great… I… want you,” she says before kissing Brandon again.

It’s impossible not to kiss the beautiful woman back but Brandon soon pulls away, saying, “I want you too,” in a husky voice. “I just… we should wait until we’re less drunk to do this,” he explains.

A mix of hurt and understanding register on Moira’s face and she agrees, “That would be a better experience for both of us.” The smile that appears tells Brandon he’s not made Moira feel unwanted by this.

“You can take the bed,” he offers. “I’ll sleep on the futon.” He wants to sleep next to Moira, if only to have someone to share the bed with again, but needs to be firm on not being intimate with her while she might be too drunk to really consent. Brandon gets Moira settled in his bed and quickly crashes on the futon.

The next morning Brandon wakes as Moira heads into the bathroom. “Morning,” he manages through a headache brought on by the night of drinking.

“Morning,” she says in chipper voice. “Do you have a toothbrush I can use?” she asks from the bathroom door.

Brandon looks at Moira, leaning against the doorframe in one of his shirts. He’s suddenly glad to have a blanket over his lap. “Uh, there should be one in there,” he says. “The red one,” he adds. That had been Albus’ toothbrush but he hadn’t thrown it out yet.

“Do you always keep a spare?” she calls with the toothbrush in her mouth, muffling her voice a bit. Brandon takes a moment to decide on an answer but Moira makes an answer unnecessary. “Leftover from an ex?” she guesses after a silence.

“Yeah,” Brandon says as he gets up from the futon. The bathroom door is open so he steps in to also brush his teeth. “Just haven’t done a good cleaning since.” He avoids saying that the weeks since his breakup have ones where he barely managed the minimum around his flat but Moira seems to understand.

Once they’re better situated and less beleaguered by the morning indecency of bad breath, Brandon asks, “What do you have going on today?”

A smile spreads on Moira’s face as she states, “I don’t have anywhere to be,” before kissing Brandon slowly.

He welcomes the kiss and lets his hands come to rest on Moira’s back, just above the curve of her bottom. They keep kissing as they navigate towards Brandon’s bedroom, neither steering particularly well and bump into the wall and furniture on the way. When Moira’s legs hit the edge of the bed she falls backwards onto the blankets and sheets. 

Scooting towards the top of the bed, Moira unbuttons the shirt she borrowed from Brandon to reveal the same sumptuous curves he’d been tempted by the previous night. Brandon pulls the shirt he slept in over his head and tosses it carelessly behind him which leaves him only in boxers.

Brandon climbs on the bed and plants kisses on Moira’s stomach and chest until he’s eye level with the woman in his bed. She runs her hands down his chest and stomach until meeting an elastic band and silky material. Making eye contact with Bran, Moira slips her hand into the boxers, sees his eyes flutter, and hears a soft groan. He leans in and kisses her neck with a light bite.

Soon they are both naked and ready for more. Brandon kneels between Moira’s smooth legs and admires her soft curves. It’s impossible for him not to mentally compare the beauty before him to Al’s lean body and hard edges but pushes his ex away from his mind as his hands venture up Moira’s legs and to her rounded belly. As he enters her she’s warm, welcoming, and wonderful.

\---

Moira paces outside a restaurant she agreed to meet Brandon at. The place appears to be a muggle restaurant and she isn’t sure how well Brandon dresses when not in wizarding attire. It’s always hit and miss with her clients when they visit the office, Moira always tells her coworkers that they are either eccentric or foreign (sometimes both). To her relief, Brandon walks up dressed impeccably well.

He kisses Moira on the cheek and says, “You look lovely.”

“So do you,” Moira tells him as she takes his hand. “I hope you like sushi,” she adds, looking up at the restaurant sign.

“I’ve never had it,” Brandon confesses with a blush. “It’s always sounded amazing but I thought I’d like it better with someone to show me the ropes.”

They are seated at a table close to the ground with pillows to sit on instead of chairs. A waitress gives them waters and menus. “How adventurous do you feel?” Moira asks as she glances at the menu she knows well.

“I’ll try anything you think is good,” Brandon decides.

“Any restrictions?” she checks, not wanting to order a dish Brandon couldn’t eat.

Looking through the menu for a moment, Brandon shakes his head. The waitress is back a few minutes later and Moira orders a nigiri sampler, three sushi rolls, miso soup, and hot sake. After writing their order down, the waitress makes a small bow before saying, “Of course, Ms. Broomfield.”

“Quite the regular?” Brandon teases. “Must be good.”

“I bring muggle clients here sometimes,” Moira explains. “And sushi is a favorite food of mine.”

Holding back a laugh, Brandon says, “Usually any food the Ministry provides us takes the form of pastries or stale pastries.”

“You can’t very well catch criminals if you’re laden with carryout,” Moira laughs. She pauses as the sake is set down between them and pours Brandon a drink. “Now you pour mine,” she instructs.

He takes the warm ceramic decanter and pours Moira’s portion into a small ceramic cup. Brandon sees Moira raise her glass slightly and mimics the action. “Interesting custom,” he comments before taking a sip of the liquor. “It’s good,” Brandon decides.

“It’s bad luck to pour your own sake,” Moira explains after taking a drink. “And it’s customary to raise your glass to the person who pours for you.”

“Are there more customs to learn tonight?” Bran inquires with a brow raised and smile forming on his lips.

Smiling coquettishly, Moira tells him, “If you’re lucky.”

Two bowls of murky liquid arrive at their table and Brandon uses what appears to be the spoon to take a sip. “This is miso soup?” he checks. Seeing Moira nod, he says, “It’s really… warming.”

“Is that a good thing?” Moira asks with a laugh behind her voice. She sees Brandon nod and smiles. “Do you go to many muggle restaurants?” Moira asks, still wondering how Brandon is so adept at blending in non-magical settings.

“Not restaurants but I work with muggles quite often,” he supplies. Looking up, Brandon can tell Moira is slightly confused by this answer. “Most of my workload involves ensuring the safety of muggleborn children who live with muggle parents. I pose as some village official and inquire about child development. Sometimes parents don’t know what to do about magic when it crops up and it’s my job to keep young witches and wizards out of harm’s way.”

Moira can see the passion Brandon has for his work and devotion to the protection of children. She’s never known someone so involved with the idea of their job before. “That’s amazing,” is all Moira manages. “I had no idea the Ministry did all of that,” she adds after a moment.

“It’s a newer program that the head of my department started,” he explains, not wanting to name drop Harry Potter. It’s not out of modesty but because he doesn’t want to directly talk about his ex’s father and by extension his ex.

“That would have been an interesting visit,” Moira comments before taking another sip of sake.

Brandon’s face falls slightly as he digests the unspoken truth. In a quieter voice than normal he says, “You said your brother was uncomfortable with magic… were your parents also?”

“Mum and Dad took magic in stride… and Martin, well, we get on now that we’re adults. Our parents left us a flat that we share,” she explains jauntily.

Their food arrives before Brandon can ask more about Moira’s family but he is glad for the distraction. Looking at the arrangement of delicately prepared pieces of food, Brandon glances at Moira in hopes of a tip on what each of the items are and how to eat them.

Taking a pair of chopsticks in hand, Moira points out the rolls and names each type of nigiri their order included. She then points at a bit of green good that Brandon thinks is decoration and says, “This is wasabi. It has a kick so don’t go too overboard with it but you put it in the little dish and mix it with some soy sauce.”

Excitement races through Brandon at trying the new food. They eat tuna nigiri first and Brandon loves it. The texture is something new to him but the flavor is delectable. Making their way through dinner does not take much time at all after they tuck into the meal. Near the end of eating, Moira fixes Brandon with a questioning look.

“You’ve never eaten sushi before?” she checks. Seeing his head shake, Moira pushes on, “When did you learn to use chopsticks?”

Swallowing the cherry blossom roll, Brandon explains, “I get Chinese carryout and was either going to learn to use chopsticks or buy glue and construct a model of Hogwarts.”

Moira snorts with laughter and shakes her head. “You’re kind of a dork,” she tells Brandon. “A really cute dork.”

“At least I have that one thing going for me,” Brandon smiles.

Grinning at Brandon, Moira tells him, “You definitely have more than one thing going for you.”

Brandon feels a whoosh in his stomach and blushes. He isn’t meant to have these feelings right now, not when he’s trying to push past a heartbreak. At a loss for words, neither speaks for a few moments. The waitress brings the check which they decide to split.

When they are outside, Moira wonders about Brandon’s quietness but decides to ask, “Do you want to walk through a garden just up here?”

Agreeing, Brandon says, “That sounds great.”

“Are you alright, Brandon?” she asks after a few minutes of walking in silence. “You seem to have something on your mind.”

They walk into the garden and Brandon stops to face Moira. “I just…” Bran debates leveling with her on his preoccupation with Albus Potter fighting the feelings he’s starting to feel for her. “Sometimes get lost in my own head,” he says instead.

Moira stands on tiptoe to kiss Brandon before responding, “That happens to us all at times.”

Another pleasurable whoosh hits Brandon and he pulls Moira into a longer kiss. She enjoys the feel of his lips moving against hers and wraps her arms around his waist to pull him closer. Neither of them are paying attention to the small garden they’re in and are getting comments from passersby.

Not wanting to invite herself back to his place, Moira is thrilled when Brandon suggests they apparate to his flat. Hurriedly walking to a private part of the garden, just behind a rose bush, Moira holds onto Brandon tightly as he guides her to his place.

“I had a chance to pick up a bit,” Brandon says with a smile once they enter his flat.

Considering it had been rather clean last time, Moira is curious what exactly he had done. “Oh thank goodness, it was really a disaster last time,” she teases.

“Well, I thought it best to be prepared,” Brandon breaths as his hands work down Moira’s back.

“Very wise move, Mr. Savage,” Moira purrs, looping her fingers into Brandon’s trousers.

The tension between them is more than Brandon can handle so he leans down to kiss Moira’s neck. A sigh leaves her lips and her eyes flutter shut. “You’re so beautiful,” Bran whispers to the woman in his arms. Shyness hits Moira but the words warm her greatly.

They are on Brandon’s bed before long, neither with clothing on. Feeling bolder than usual, Moira straddles the auror before leaning down to kiss him. Brandon relishes the view and easy access to Moira’s breasts as his hands explore her body. When she slides down onto him, Brandon gasps his pleasure at the feeling.

\---

Brandon glances at his watch again -- the meeting is running long and if he doesn’t leave soon, he won’t be able to change before his date. Unaware that his action has drawn the attention of the head of their department, Brandon jumps when Harry calls out, “Are we boring you, Savage?”

“No, sir,” he says after folding his arms to remove the temptation of time checking.

“Well, as Savage seems to have pressing matters to attend to and I don’t want to pay everyone overtime, let’s continue this tomorrow,” Harry says before packing the presentation with a wave of his arm.

Making a quick departure from the crowded room, Brandon is delayed by Blevins. “Boy, Potter is really gunning for you,” he laughs. “No one will date on of his kids after you.”

“Yeah,” Brandon mutters. “I don’t think he’ll be like this forever though.”

Blevins shrugs before turning to go by his desk. Brandon sees Harry trying to catch his attention from across the room but pretends he doesn’t notice and hurries to the door. He’s sure that Harry just wants to apologize for being short with him but Brandon is anxious to get to the bowling alley on time.

Stopping by his flat to shower and change, Brandon barely makes it to the bowling alley on time. He’d been there a half dozen times before and the last few times were with Albus. Moira makes Brandon feel less broken up and he’s starting to feel there could be something wonderful between them. He’s hoping to probe those thoughts as they spend the evening hurling massive balls down slick wooden allies towards heavy pins.

Moira is waiting for Brandon by the counter. She’s wearing a dress which makes Brandon’s stomach flip in delight. “You know how to temp,” he says as a greeting before kissing Moira.

“A girl has to try,” she grins as they approach the rather bored looking clerk.

They get shoes and are assigned a lane. Brandon orders them beer and nachos from the bar before picking out a ball. “Have you done this before?” he asks Moira as they look through racks of weighted bowling balls.

“Just a few times,” Moira says with a thoughtful tone. “I think heavier is better,” she decides.

“Big balls tend to help,” Brandon says with a sly grin.

“Ever the auror,” Moira laughs.

Neither is particularly good at bowling but they have a fun time trying. Brandon manages a few strikes and Moira just trails him in points. They take a break to finish the beer and food. Brandon is grinning at his apparent successes with bowling.

“We never get strikes,” he says without thinking.

Laughing, Moira asks, “We?”

Brandon chokes on his beer as he realizes his mind had drifted to Albus. “Um,” he starts. There’s no way to really get around this without lying. “Last time I was here my ex and I kept missing strikes by just a pin or two,” he says as if the situation was hilarious.

 “I don’t manage many strikes either,” she says brightly. Moira masks her hurt feelings at this – she doesn’t mind that Brandon recalls his ex bowling but that he’s clearly hung up on her.

“There has to be a trick to it,” Brandon manages as he tries to think of something to repair his blunder.

Moira scoots next to him and whispers, “I can think of a way to make a distinctive memory here.” Seeing Brandon’s raised eyebrow at this suggestion she explains, “Meet me in the lady’s loo,” before taking off.

Beyond excited at what he thinks Moira has in store for him, Brandon waits for an insufferably long minute and then leaves their lane for the loo. Cautiously opening the door, Brandon sees Moira and grins.

“I really hope not to get a strike in here,” he says before Moira presses into him with a rough kiss.

Neither of them speaks as their mouths fight for dominance. Brandon pins Moira against the door and kisses her through the now disheveled dress she wears. When his hand reaches up her thigh, Brandon receives a surprise. “No panties?” he asks with a grin.

“Thought they’d get in the way,” she says breathily before unbuttoning the top of Brandon’s trousers. As Brandon hikes up Moira’s dress he knows he’ll never mistake a moment with her for one spent with anyone else.

\---

Moira paces in her office and stares at the floor. She’s supposed to meet Brandon in less than 10 minutes but isn’t sure if she should keep seeing the man despite her growing affection. Every time they are together Moira senses that Brandon’s heart is partially tied up elsewhere. This wouldn’t bother her if she hadn’t felt the initial pangs of desire turning into something deeper, something harder to casually forget about.

It’s an hour past their proposed date time when Moira goes home and is greeted by “You’re home early,” from Martin. She only partially lies by saying her plans changed for the evening. Moira doesn’t share that she’s been seeing someone or that she’s stopped seeing him. Moira limits how much she shared with her brother on principle, not wanting to push the wizarding world onto him.

Deciding to drown her feelings with ice cream and trashy movies, Moira spends the evening in sweats and only reluctantly goes to work the next day. She knows it’s not nice to skip out on Brandon without an explanation but she doesn’t think she could face the honest truth behind her feelings.

A few days later Martin tells his sister that a bird has been waiting for her since the afternoon and she sees a letter addressed to her. The owl seems to be waiting for a return letter, she knows some owls are paid to do that, and takes the animal and letter to her room.

Not at all surprised, Moira sees that Brandon’s letter is full of concern and suggests a new meeting time. It takes Moira hours to decide that just resealing the letter and sending the owl back with it, sans response, is the best course of action. Between her carnal desire for Brandon and the strong affection she holds, Moira knows she cannot risk seeing him to break it off.

Carefully avoiding the places they went together, Moira is able to bury her feelings over the next several weeks and assumes Brandon has done the same. She lets her mind drift to him in private moments when she focuses on the way his muscular shoulders looked in tight shirts and how his hands felt on her body.

It is with great surprise that Moira found herself pregnant two months later. A visit to the doctor and a relationship dry spell tell her everything she needs to confirm that Brandon was the father. Moira knows she needs to tell him but doesn’t want to burden him with the news either.

After weeks of procrastination, Moira decides to visit the Ministry midday. She doesn’t know if this is a good time to find Brandon at work or if he’s even in the office during the day but it’s the best idea she has. Sending an owl feels too impersonal for delivering such important news.

Moira walks through the massive foyer, crowded with witches and wizards going about their day. To her surprise, she spots Brandon near a magical fountain. Taking a few steps forward, Moira sees that Brandon is there with a woman. This stops Moira and glues her feet to the spot.

Of course, he’s returned to the ex-girlfriend as he was clearly still in love with her when they were together. Moira feels tears sting her eyes and the red-haired woman laughs at something Brandon says. Deciding on the spot that going to Brandon with this news would ruin his hopes at happiness with the woman he’s with, Moira turns to leave.

\---

“According to Lily, James and Albus nearly blew up their kitchen in the first week they spent in their flat,” Rose laughs. She’s just started her job at the Ministry and is glad to have someone she knows to chat with at lunch. Brandon is not there every day but she likes the friendship they are forming.

Brandon shakes his head at the image of the two men trying to manage cooking on their own. Doing so, he catches sight of someone he has not seen in a few months. Standing up abruptly he strains to get a better look through the crowd.

Also standing, Rose tries to see who Bran is looking for. “What is it?” she asks after a few moments.

Deciding he’s imagined or missed Moira, Brandon says, “Thought I saw someone I know. Must have been mistaken.”


End file.
